Friction-clutch.



.PATBNTED JUNE 9,1903.

R. c. Ems; FRIGTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED SEYT Z'E 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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" 'No. 730,372. PATBNTED JUNE 9. 1903.

11.0. HILLS.

PRIGTION CLUTCH.

APPLIOATIOK FILED SEPT. 22, 1902.

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Ho.-730,3.72. PATENTED JUNE 9,1903.

R. c. HILLS. FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1902.

11V VE N T OR.

UNiTE STAT-Es Patented June 9, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD O. HILLS, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CLARENCEH. STEVENSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 730,372, dated June 9,1903.

Application filed September 22, 1902. Serial No. 12 L470. (No model.)

To allwhom, it may coigloern.

Be it known that I, RICHARD O. HILLS, a subject of the King of-GreatBritain, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoeand State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'in Friction-Clutches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in friction-clutches, my objectbeing to provide a device of this class which shall be simple inconstruction, economical in cost, reliable, durable, and efficient inuse and to these ends the invention consists of the features,arrangements,and combinationshereinafterdescribed and claimed, all ofwhich will be fully understood by reference to the'accomp'anyingdrawings in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section taken through my improved clutchmechanism applied to a shaft which is shown'partly in section. Figs. 2,3, and at are sections taken on the lines 2 2, 3 3,'and 44 of Fig.1,respectively. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectiona'lview illustrating amodified form of construction. Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective viewsillustrating the two interlocking parts shown in detail and on a largerscale.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a shaft from which or to which motion is tobe transmitted. To this'shaft is applied a sleeve 6, which is securedthereon by a key 7, whereby the shaft and sleeve are made to rotatetogether. The sleeve 6 is provided with a collar 7, which, as shown inthe drawings, is formed integral therewith. This collar will be referredto as a clutch member. Between a portion of this 1 collar or clutchmember and the sleeve is lomay be either a pulley or sprocket wheelcated a wedge-shaped recess 8, adapted to receive one end of the hub 9of a wheel 10, which is exteriorly threaded.

for transmitting motion according as it is desired to use a belt orchain for this purpose. The hubisthecounterpartof the recess,whereby asit is forced thereinto it is tightly wedged and made to turn with theshaft. Between the end of the hub and the bottom of the recess 8 islocated a coil-spring 12, which is placed under tension by the inwardmovement of the hub and Whose recoil throws the hub outwardly, making itloose on the sleeve :as soon as the endwise pressure forcing it inwardlyceases to act. Mounted also to turn with the shaft but slidable thereonbeing held in place on the sleeve 6 by keys 13, is a collar 14, forminganother clutch member. Between a portion of this last-named collar andthe sleeve is a wedge-shaped recess 15, adapted to receive the end ofthe hub opposite that which enters the recess 8. Located in the recess15 and engaging the adjacent end of the hub is a coil-spring 16, oneextremity of which engages the collar 14 at the bottom of the recess 15.In the end of the collar 14 opposite that which engages'the hub 9 is agroove 17, forming a ball-raceengaged by ball-bearings 18, which alsoengage a groove of corresponding shape formed-in the hub 19 of ahand-wheel 20, provided with two segmental lugs 21 and an annular rib22,'projecting in the opposite direction from the collar 14:. Mounted onthe sleeve 6 is a loose collar 23, whose body portion This collar 23 isprovided with recesses 24, adapted to receive the segmental lugs21 ofthe handrwheel 20,whereby the said wheeland the loose collar areinterlocke d, the interlocking parts being in sliding engagement,permitting the necessary longitudinal movement of one member in order toengage and actuate the clutch member. A hand-wheel 25 is provided with ahub 26, interiorly threaded and engaging the exterior threads on thecollar 23. The hub 26 of this hand-wheel is provided with an annulargroove 27, adapted to receive the rib 22 of the hand-wheel 20. Betweenthis rib and the bot tom of the groove are located ball-bearings 2'7 Thesurface of the collar 23 opposite its interlocking face is grooved toform half of a ballraceway, the other half of the said raceway beingformed in a collar 28, secured to the sleeve 6 by set-screws 29. In theraceway between these loose and fast collars are located ball-bearings30. v

From the foregoing description the operation of my improvedfriction-clutch mechanism will be readily understood. Assuming that itis desired to lock the wheel 10 on the shaft, whereby the two parts aremade to rotate in unison, the hand-wheel is held by one hand of theuser, whereby the collar 23 is locked against rotation by theinterlocking members of the hand-wheel 20 and the said collar, asheretofore described. The handwheel 25 is then turned on the collar 23in a direction to force the hand-wheel 20 and the collar 14 toward theleft, referring to Fig. 1, whereby the hub of the wheel 10 is wedgedtightly between the collars 7 and 14, both of which rotate with theshaft, as heretofore explained. Hence the wheel 10 when thus actuatedmust also turn with the shaft. To re- 1 lease the wheel 10, it is onlynecessary to turn late the hand-wheels 20 and 25, as heretoforeexplained, since the friction between the parts engaged by thesebearings is reduced to a minimum.

In case the circumference of the wheel 10 is considerable and it isdesired to apply the friction farther from the center in order that itmay act more efficiently two parts 31 may be secured to the wheel beyondthe collar 14 and provided with friction-faces arranged to engage theexterior adjacent faces of these collars, as shown in Fig. 1. In case itis desired to apply the friction still farther from the center modifiedforms of collars (shown in Fig. 5 and designated 7 and 14:) may beemployed, making it practicable to secure the friction parts 31 to thewheel 10 farther from the center of motion. In this last-named case thefriction-collars do not engage the hub of the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. Infriction-clutch mechanism, the combination with a shaft and a wheelnormally loose thereon, and friction-collars arranged to turn with theshaft one of which is longi tudinally slidable thereon, the collarsbeing arranged one on each side of the wheel and adapted when the one ismade to move toward the other, to lock the wheel on the shaft, of acollar loose on the shaft and eXt-eriorly threaded, a hand-wheel alsoloose on the shaft, engaging the sliding collar or clutch member on oneside of the hub of the wheel and the loose collar on the other side, thelatter and the hand-wheel having interlocking members in slidingengagement, and another hand-wheel whose hub is threaded to engageexterior threads of the loose collar and arranged to bear against thefirst-named handwheel, whereby the sliding collar is forced toward thewheel to be locked on the shaft, substantially as described.

.2. The combination with a shaft and 3. normally loose wheel, offriction-clutch members arranged on opposite sides of the wheel androtating with the shaft, one of said members being longitudinallymovable on the shaft, two loose interlocking'members mounted on theshaft and slidably connected, means for holding the said againstrotation, and a hand-Wheel threaded on one of the interlocking membersand hearing against the other member, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a shaft and a normally loose wheel thereon, offriction-clutch members arranged on opposite sides of the wheel, one ofsaid members being slidable on the shaft, springs interposed between thehub of the wheel and said members, two interlocking members loose on theshaft one of which bears against the slidable clutch member, and anactuating member threaded on one of the interlocking members and bearingagainst the other interlocking member, substantially as described.

4. In friction-clutch mechanism, the combination with a shaft and awheel loose thereon, of two clutch members arranged on opposite sides ofthe wheel and adapted to engage the hub thereof, both of saidmeminterlocking members bers being arranged to turn with the shaft andone of them being slidable longitudinally thereon, a releasing-springengaging the hub of the wheel at one extremity and one of the clutchmembers at the opposite extremity, two interlocking members loose on theshaft, one of them bearing against the slidable clutch member, and theother against a stop on the shaft, ball-bearings interposed between theclutch member and the one interlocking member, and between the otherinterlocking member and a stop, an actuating member threaded on oneinterlocking member and engaging the other interlocking member, and ballbearings interposed between the actuating member and its engaginginterlocking member, substantially as described.

5. In friction-clutch mechanism, the combination with a shaft and awheel normally loose thereon, of two clutch members arranged on oppositesides of the wheel, the latter being provided with friction-facesadapted to engage the clutch members, one of the lattembeing slidablelongitudinally on the shaft, two interlocking members loose on the shaftand slidably connected, one of them bearing against thelongitudinally-slidable clutch member, a collar fast on the shaft andengaged by the other interlocking member, and an actuating memberthreaded on the last-named interlocking member and bearing against theother interlocking member, substantially as described.

6. In friction-clutch mechanism, the combination with a shaft and awheel normally loose thereon, of a friction-faceapplied to the wheeloutside of its hub, clutch members on opposite sides of the wheel andadapted to engage said friction-face, two interlocking members loose onthe shaft and slidably connected, one of them engaging one of the clutchmembers, the latter being movable longitudi nally on the shaft, and anactuating member threaded on one of the interlocking members and adaptedto engage the other interlocking member, substantially as described.

7. In friction-clutch mechanism, the combination with a shaft and awheel normally loose thereon, of friction-faces applied to the wheeloutside of its hub, clutch members located on opposite sides of thewheel and adapted to wedge into the space between the hub and theapplied friction-faces, two interlocking members loose on the shaft andslidably connected, one of them engaging one of the clutch members, andthe other being movable longitudinally on the shaft, and an actuatingmember threaded on one of the interlocking members and adapted to engagethe other interlocking member, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a shaft and a normally loose wheel, of afriction-clutch mem- 9. In clutch mechanism, the combination with ashaft and a clutch member slidable thereon and turning therewith, of twointerlocking members loose on the shaft and slidably connected, one ofthe interlocking members being adapted to actuate the clutch member, andan actuating device threaded on one of the interlocking members andarranged to actuate the interlocking member which drives the clutchmember. c

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD O. HILLS.

Witnesses:

DENA NELSON, A. J. OBRIEN.

